QUICK LINKS

Superintendent's Note

From the desk of Jim McKay

Posted: February, 20, 2018 - 5:29pm

School Safety Letter To Familes

To our District 117 Families,

Our hearts go out to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School community and all the families affected by the senseless shooting. We are greatly saddened by another instance of school violence that has devastated the community of Parkland.

For Community High School District 117, the safety of students and staff continues to be a top priority. As a District, we have built strong relationships with the Antioch, Lake Villa and Lindenhurst Police and Fire Departments. We are grateful for their leadership and input which helps guide our mission for safe schools. We interact with these organizations regularly to keep our planning and preparation current and to create the safest school environment for all who enter our facilities. Each school is diligent and screens all visitors, via the Raptor database, which lets us know if individuals should not be granted access to our buildings. Our buildings are also equipped with video surveillance that can be monitored in the squad cars of our local police officers. We continue to work with administration, staff and support personnel to address social-emotional awareness as it relates to understanding and identifying characteristics of mental illness. School counseling specialists are always available to your child.

As a community, we can increase the safety of our children by working together. Law enforcement officials suggest the best way to prevent school violence is for students to report any and all concerns to a trusted adult. At times, it may seem easy to overlook unusual behavior, but it is important to err on the side of caution. We encourage all students and parents to report threats of violence. Use Text a Tip (text LAKECO to 1-844-823-5323) to report any and all safety concerns. This is an anonymous text message reporting tool and reporting concerns of violence makes a difference.

We are entrusted with the education of your students. We take that very seriously. We take their safety and well-being just as seriously.

We can all help children feel safe by establishing a sense of normalcy and security and talking with them about their fears. If you feel you need an additional resource to help with this conversation, refer to the link below.Talking to Children about School Violence

Posted: October, 31, 2017 - 10:13am

2017 Illinois Report Card shows upward trends

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) today released the 2017 Illinois Report Card at http://webprod.isbe.net/ereportcard/publicsite/getSearchCriteria.aspx. The annual Illinois Report Card shows the performance and progress of schools, districts, and the state overall on a wide range of educational metrics. The www.illinoisreportcard.com interactive website will go live on Friday, Nov. 3. The Data Quality Campaign and the Education Commission of the States have praised the Illinois Report Card as comprehensive and easy to understand.

Posted: September, 29, 2017 - 7:56am

Advanced Placement data show results of state’s focus on equity

SPRINGFIELD – The College Board released non-accountability reports of Advanced Placement (AP), SAT, and PSAT results from Illinois students statewide. State Superintendent of Education Tony Smith, Ph.D., issued the following statement:

“The Advanced Placement (AP) data released by the College Board show increases across the board in the numbers of students taking AP exams and in the percentages of students performing well. The State Board committed to increasing access to AP classes and exams, especially among underrepresented student groups. School teams across the state embraced…

Posted: September, 7, 2017 - 3:07pm

U.S. Department of Education approves Illinois ESSA Plan

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - The Illinois Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Plan has been approved by the U.S. Department of Education.

Illinois State Board of Education officials say the state’s ESSA Plan incorporates feedback gathered from thousands of online comments and 100 in-person forums and meetings. Under the Illinois ESSA Plan, multiple indicators of school quality and student growth will be collected and examined, and will be used to help schools perform better under a plan that specifically meets their unique needs.

Posted: August, 9, 2017 - 11:44am

Welcome Back and While You Were Away

Let me be the first to say welcome back, we are honored and happy to serve you and our communities! I would like to welcome the incoming Freshman Class of 2021! We also welcome our upperclassman and anyone new to Community High School District 117; we truly look forward to ensuring that every student is offered the opportunity to grow and learn in a positive, safe, and engaging environment. Our dedicated and talented staff strives to realize our mission of Igniting the Passion and Discovery of Every Student. We are very proud of our unwavering commitment to student growth…

Posted: August, 7, 2017 - 4:55pm

State Funding for Schools

I want to provide residents of Community High School District 117 information regarding state funding for schools in Illinois for the 2017-18 school year as you may be familiar with this issue through the news media and other sources.

Due to the inequality associated with the current Illinois school funding formula and its significant adverse consequences particularly to school districts with the greatest economic need, the legislature has developed a new funding formula designed with evidence based criteria to equitably support state funding for schools. To date, the legislators…

Posted: May, 31, 2017 - 11:36am

EVERY STUDENT SUCEEDS ACT (ESSA)

ISBE submitted the ESSA State Plan for Illinois to the U.S. Department of Education (ED) on April 1, 2017. On April 10, 2017, ED identified a section of the plan that it considered incomplete. This section included measurements of interim progress for academic attainment, graduation rate, and English Learner proficiency. In the plan submitted on April 1, 2017, ISBE stated that it intends to develop measurements of interim progress based on three-year baseline data and that this data is currently unavailable due to not having three years of data from which to determine a baseline…

Posted: April, 24, 2017 - 10:43am

State Budget Impasse

There is an effort statewide by many in a variety of public and private sectors including educators currently encouraging our state legislators to formulate and pass a responsible and responsive state budget. Below, are some of the consequences and concerns shared by many as a result of the current budget impasse.

All areas of society, including Illinois public school students, have suffered the consequences of Illinois’ financial problems over the past couple decades. For nearly the past two years, Illinois has operated with just a partial budget for education and “stopgap”or band-aid…

Posted: January, 5, 2017 - 11:51am

Community High School District 117 asks the voters at the April 4th Election

The Board of Education passed a resolution (December 8, 2016) that places a question on the ballot of the April 4th, 2017 election. The question asks voters of the District whether all Board Members should be elected At-Large. District residents will have the opportunity to cast their vote regarding this question at the Tuesday; April 4th, 2017 consolidated election.

The reason for the question stems from the current difficulty in sustaining representation from the unincorporated areas of the District. Since at least 1965, it has been required that the unincorporated…

Posted: November, 28, 2016 - 1:59pm

Positive Power of Our Schools

The holiday season should be a positive, sentimental and enduring time filled with family gatherings and friendship. Unfortunately, too often, this idyllic time is not enjoyed by our students or families but rather represents a time of struggle both financially and emotionally. Compounded with the unprecedented negative rhetoric of recent political campaigns and the ongoing pockets of civil unrest, in our country, our students may be even more vulnerable.

That is why it is critically important to reaffirm the strength and positive power of our schools. Community High…

Posted: September, 30, 2016 - 12:00am

Far Too Common!

On September 29th, the national evening news reported once again on a tragic school shooting at Townville Elementary School in South Carolina. The threats of violence in schools and society are becoming far too common and sadly, in my opinion, creating a new “normal”. While Community High School District 117 encounters threatening situations occasionally, it never becomes easier for parents, students, staff or our greater community to accept. These threats of violence are senseless and require immeasurable resources on the part of our schools and communities. We take these…

National Trend

How Artificial Intelligence Is Already Transforming Education

Education Week, March 3, 2018

The invention of artificial intelligence has been hotly debated over the years. Some view this tool as the first step toward a world where human professions are no longer necessary. Others see artificial intelligence as a cost-effective means of being more productive during the day. The truth may fall somewhere in between these extremes, particularly when it comes to education.

National Trend

How Best to Secure U.S. Schools

U.S. News & World Report, March 3, 2018

The schools in areas where gun violence is part of everyday life are not securing their campuses very differently from the seemingly "safe" schools where mass shootings have taken place, school safety experts say. In fact, they say, when it comes to securing schools, each strategy is unique.

National Trend

And now, online teacher training for active shooters in schools, courtesy of the Department of Homeland Security

Washington Post, February 2, 2018

It’s early February 2018, and already this year there have been at least 14 incidents in schools with guns, some of them deadly. If the number surprises you, it may be because some of these events have gotten little coverage in the news because they have become sickeningly routine.

National Trend

Study links positivity, better academic outcomes

CNBC, February 2, 2018

There may be a connection between a positive attitude and academic achievement, according to a study by researchers at Stanford Medicine. The study of 240 children correlated students' positive attitudes with improved memory, problem-solving skills and math abilities.

National Trend

Five Common Traits of the Top School Systems

Education Week, January 1, 2018

Among states that received the lowest grades in the latest Quality Counts report, the Education Week Research Center identified several common challenges. hese include relatively high rates of children and parents living in poverty, limited opportunities for early learning, and struggles with producing strong academic outcomes.

Rare Chicago, January 1, 2018

National Trend

How K12 roles are changing

District Administration, December 12, 2017

Across K12 education, the roles of educators are shifting as instructional practices advance, schools more actively support the social-emotional development of students, and new technology is integrated into the classroom.

National Trend

What Makes a Good School?

Slate, December 12, 2017

In a new study, Sean Reardon, a professor of poverty and inequality in education at Stanford University, looked at countrywide math and reading test data from children in grades three through eight and found some fascinating and surprising results that call into question how we think about “good” and “bad” schools.

National Trend

Why it’s a big problem that so many teachers quit — and what to do about it

Washington Post, November 11, 2017

At the start of the 2017-18 school year, the Learning Policy Institute held a forum in Washington, D.C., on teacher turnover as we issued a new report offering an in-depth analysis of how often teachers leave their schools and why.

National Trend

Bullied teens twice as likely to bring weapons to school

Reuters, November 11, 2017

One in five teens are victims of bullying, and these adolescents are about twice as likely to bring guns and knives to school than peers who aren’t bullied, a U.S. study suggests. Researchers examined how high school students answered three survey questions: how often they skipped school because they felt unsafe; how often they got in physical fights at school; and how many times they were threatened with a weapon at school.